Boosting residential on-street EV charging with Vauxhall's new initiative

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【Summary】Vauxhall has launched the 'Electric Streets of Britain' initiative to address the lack of residential on-street EV charging infrastructure. A freedom of information request revealed that 70% of local authorities in the UK have no strategy for on-street EV charging. Vauxhall aims to ensure that homes without driveways are not left behind in the transition to electric vehicles by creating a national database for public registration of charging needs.

FutureCar Staff Aug 25, 2023 5:09 PM PT

Boosting residential on-street EV charging with Vauxhall's new initiative

Vauxhall has launched an initiative called the 'Electric Streets of Britain' program to address the lack of residential on-street EV charging infrastructure. This comes after a freedom of information request by Vauxhall revealed that 70% of local authorities in the UK have no strategy in place for on-street EV charging.

One of the main barriers to EV adoption is the fact that 40% of homes in the UK do not have a driveway or garage for charging. To tackle this issue, Vauxhall has set up a national database at www.electricstreets.co.uk where the public can register their need for on-street charging. This will help councils understand the demand for charging infrastructure and ensure that homes without driveways are not left behind in the transition to zero-emission motoring.

The FOI request also revealed that 69% of councils have yet to install any on-street chargers, and 45% have no plans to install them this year. To address this, Vauxhall is working with charging operators char.gy, Connected Kerb, and SureCharge to set up an 'Enablement Fund' that will help councils understand the scale of the charging issues and the available solutions.

On-street charging is crucial for EV adoption, as 80% of all EV charging is done at home. In urban areas, where 60% of homes lack off-street parking, this becomes even more important. Vauxhall suggests solutions such as lamp post chargers and pavement-mounted bollards, which can be installed quickly and easily.

James Taylor, Managing Director of Vauxhall, emphasizes the importance of accessibility to charge points near homes, stating that it is critical for the transition to electric vehicle ownership in the UK. Vauxhall aims to collaborate with the public, councils, and charging operators to educate decision-makers and enable the installation of more chargers at a faster pace.

In addition to benefiting private motorists, on-street charging provision will also support businesses in going electric. Around 40% of company-owned electric vans are charged at home by employees, so the availability of charge points will help van drivers top up their vehicles both at home and at residential job locations.